Staying the Same
by Kaoupa
Summary: Even as things change, they often stay the same. And even in a universe where they're both girls, Aang and Katara still love each other. However, with the world just barely recovering from the war, Aang expected to restore the Air Nomads, and plain old homophobia in the social atmosphere, how will their romance be received? AU.


A/N: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, property of Mike and Bryan and Nickelodeon. I do own my own ideas, however. Though honestly, now I kind of want to see a Korra AU where Korra's a guy to balance this one out… hm. Future chapter in the story, maybe. This might someday be a series of oneshots set in the same universe, but not precisely in chronological order.

Katara had a question for Aang. And it had been bothering her for a while.

That was Katara's thought as she walked into the house that house that she, Aang, Sokka, Zuko, Suki, and Toph were all living in now that the war was over, after having to go through a long day of meetings about truces and helping sort things out between the Water Tribes.

It was rather easy to find the other girl. She was sitting in her room, quietly meditating on her bed, with the window closed to stop the rain from getting in.

"Aang?"

Pausing in her meditation, Aang briefly looked up, smiling when she saw her girlfriend in front of her. "Yeah, Katara?"

"I have a question."

"Sure! What is it?" Aang asked, getting up quickly from her sitting place.

"Well… how long have you liked me? Since before you told me?" Katara asked.

Aang blinked, surprised. "Well…" Aang had to pause for a bit, to think on things. And honestly, while she had liked Katara for a long time...

"Can I ask a question, too?"

"Sure, sweetie." Katara smiled.

"When you said like, did you mean like or love?"

Katara blushed at the question. "Er… how about both?"

Aang had to stop and think for that one. Long enough for Katara to think on how she had come to the question anyways, as well as her own thoughts on it...

Katara had spent her life growing up hearing tales about the Avatar, and hoping that they would someday return to help defeat the Fire Nation. When she had found that Avatar - who was a girl around her own age who actually looked up to her and admired her! - she had almost been jumping for joy. They could save the world now, and stop the Fire Nation! She just knew it!

The prospect of finally ending the worldwide war that had plagued their people and the Earth Kingdoms for so long had been the main reason that Katara had kept on moving forwards, had kept trying to help Aang in whatever she had needed. The two had been inseparable for much of their journey northwards.

Until they had arrived at the village of Makapu.

Until they had met Aunt Wu.

Until Katara had been told flat out by Aunt Wu's assistant Meng, after initially refusing to believe her fortune about marrying another woman, that Aang had a crush on her, saying it was obvious.

She hadn't been able to believe it at first. But, as time had gone on, and she had really looked, more and more, at how Aang looked at her, at what the two did together, that she had been forced to face it.

Aang liked her.

After that, Katara had had difficulty even spending time near Aang, let alone training with her. It was a shock! To think that someone as great as the Avatar, would sink so low as to… to… like other girls…

It was disgusting!

At first, she had needed to sit down and think before she could do anything. She had never given much thought to the idea of anybody falling in love with her, let alone another woman! Same-sex relationships were well known as being taboo in the Tribes, even before the war had started.

And after it had started, the Southern Water Tribe had been crippled in numbers over the past century due to the constant raiding. There were less than a quarter of a million people scattered throughout the entire South Pole; a mere fraction of their former numbers, and she had been one of the only waterbenders reported in years. As harsh as it admittedly was, they really couldn't have any women not having children, if they ever hoped to recover fully. And Katara had always liked men anyways!

That whole thing with Jet proved that, at least. As much as she'd like to forget the thing itself...

For a while, it had been difficult for Katara to even look at Aang normally, until they got to the North Pole, and had to deal with Pakku refusing to teach her. And as much as she had proven herself… Aang had stood up for her.

And that had cemented it. As weird as Aang's crush was… it would probably go away when she saw Katara wasn't interested. And Aang was her friend. Her family.

And when she had seen the girl waking up terrified in her bunk, nightmares of the Avatar State refusing to let her sleep, she had to help.

Family helped family. No matter what.

After they had picked up Toph, Katara had sort of hoped that Aang might stop following her, instead transferring her affections to the new girl. But if anything, Aang had only latched on to her even tighter. Though with how much Toph's offensive and domineering ways clashed horribly with Aang's pacifistic nature, she really couldn't blame her.

As a result of Aang spending even more time with her, and her affections only seeming to grow stronger, Katara had started trying to think of ways to let her down gently. As much as she valued her friendship with Aang, she just didn't want her love.

At least, that's what she had thought.

But then, Ba Sing Se had happened. The Dai Li's coup. Azula's lightning shooting Aang down as she prepared to unleash the Avatar State.

And the emotions she had felt churning through her as they flew away on Appa, as she carried the other girl's lifeless body in her arms…

It had been easy to ignore what she was feeling at first, as she revived her with the Spirit Water, and had to spend the next month ensuring that she didn't die a second time - and stay dead, without any more of the Water. After she had woken up, there had been too much joy at first, knowing she was awake, and later panic, trying to find her again and then, caution as they infiltrated the Fire Nation. There had been no time to really think about Aang herself, with all of Katara's time being spent just ensuring she was safe.

But at the party… that had really been the first time that she really looked at the other girl. Puberty had apparently started up for Aang as she had laid unconscious in bed, and her curves had developed alarmingly fast, to the point that Katara had seen several of the boys at the party throwing her a rather appreciative eye. But Aang herself had only had eyes for Katara, no matter how many people she danced with.

And as much as she had hated herself at the time to think it, at least half of her time at the party had been spent with her keeping her eyes on Aang.

Oh, she had tried to justify it to herself afterwards as they fled from the authorities on Appa. She was just keeping an eye on her friend. Making sure that nobody there would try to flip up her skirt or something… making sure nobody else realized that the Avatar was still alive.

No matter how much her heart had raced during their dance together, and how sure she was that what she had felt had nothing to do with fear.

She had tried to get the dance out of her mind afterwards. But events had kept conspiring to keep her horrifically aware…

When Combustion Man had attacked them the first time, and Aang had gone to hold him away from the others… she was just so grateful afterwards that they had all made it out alive, she didn't even care that Aang was hugging her so closely to her. She was definitely not enjoying the feeling of their bodies pressed together…

Or when they had gone to that rock pool, and Aang had taken off pretty much all of her clothes, except for her shorts. Katara had not been staring for any length of time at the other girl's rapidly-developing body.

Or on the Day of Black Sun, when they had had one last talk before Aang flew off.

When Aang had kissed her.

And… as much as she had been horrified to realize it… it hadn't been disgust she had felt when Aang did it.

She had felt joy.

That moment had been what made it clear to her.

No matter how much she had been told it was wrong, no matter how much it went against her beliefs… she had fallen in love with Aang.

Afterwards… it had been so hard. On herself, on trying to figure out what to do.

Until after Aang had beaten Ozai. After Azula had fallen at the Fire Nation Capital.

Until they had kissed in Ba Sing Se.

And… in the end, that had been when she had stopped fighting what she had felt. They had been away from everyone else, when Aang had asked to talk to her, and when Aang had tried to talk about it, Katara had kissed her first, and done it for a long time.

And she had difficulty recalling another time that she had ever felt so happy.

"Katara?"

Blinking, Katara realized that Aang had been trying to talk to her for the last few seconds as she zoned out.

"Yes, Aang?" She replied quickly, her face turning red.

"I liked you from the moment I saw you." Aang repeated, smiling.

"And… love?" Katara questioned.

"I… don't know." Aang admitted, looking down. "I… can't really think of any one moment I fell in love with you."

"Neither can I." Katara replied, leaning forward to kiss the Air Nomad.

Blinking at the sudden contact, Aang was surprised… but not displeased, and she soon returned Katara's embrace warmly, their eyes shut as their mouths met.

No matter what she had thought before… this was where she was now, Katara knew.

And she loved every bit of it.

 _I don't know why I tried to fight it...this is where I belong._

A/N: In my headcanon, I doubt the ATLA world has any fondness for homosexuals after the Hundred Year War. It's not due to a major figure in it being homosexual and leaving a bad mark on the world; it's more subtle. Simply, the need for a lot of soldiers to fight in the war ensured that homosexuality was discouraged, since men or women interested in the same gender usually don't have their own kids, and fewer kids means fewer soldiers. I agree that war is a horrible thing, but at the time, both sides in it were likely in desperate need of new lives, whether civilian or soldier. And after the war ended, it turns out that decades of propaganda saying "homosexuality is bad, so if you're homo, you're bad", cannot be dismissed that easily.


End file.
